NEW YORK – It was a warm spring Saturday when dozens of immigrant girls and women leapt to their deaths — some with their clothes on fire, some holding hands — as horrified onlookers watched the Triangle Shirtwaist factory burn.

The March 25, 1911, fire that killed 146 workers became a touchstone for the organized labor movement, spurred laws that required fire drills and shed light on the lives of young immigrant workers near the turn of the century.

The 100th anniversary comes as public workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere protest efforts to limit collective bargaining rights in response to state budget woes. Labor leaders and others say one need only look to the Triangle fire to see why unions are crucial.

"This is a story that needs to be told and retold," said Cecilia Rubino, the writer-director of "From the Fire," an oratorio inspired by the Triangle fire. "We don't have that many moments in our history where you see so clearly the gears of history shift."

I just watched a documentary about the infamous Triangle tradgedy on American Experiance (PBS). The women of the Triangle Waistshirt Factory were heros-as they not only fought for the rights of workers-but of the Women's Rights movement as well.I had never heard of this chapter in our history before I saw the program. Thanks for posting this.

The thing I find most interesting is that people are surprised by deplorable conditions in developing conditions when similar conditions existed in our own country and most of our counterparts in the rest of the world. It seems that many forget these practices once existed here and that it is truly horrific to think about on any scale. I don't wish to make anyone think that I say anything is right but wish to serve a reminder it was less then a century ago when you could find similar things in the US, UK and most of Europe.